Dust-guard cap for journal boxes



March 30, 1943. w. H.'sALE DUST-GUARD CAP FOR JOURNAL-BOXES Filed May5', 1941 0672270? H Se! Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFlCE DUST-GUARD CAP FOR JOURNAL BOXES.

William H. Sale, Sandston, Va. Application May 5, 1941, Serial No.391,903

4 Claims.

The invention relates to dust-guardcaps for journal-boxes.

One object of the invention is to provide animproved dust-guard cap forjournal-boxes, which is readily removable from the journal-box andwhich, when placed thereon, will be effectively secured, so that the capwill not be loosened by vibration to which the boxes are subjected.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the detaileddescription.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by claims at theconclusion hereof.

.In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of arailway journal-box to which a dust-guard cap embodying the 'inventionis applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a perspective of the cap. Fig. 4 is a transverse section ofthe journal-box with a modified form of the invention. Fig. 5 is aperspective of the spring-pressed gripping member shown in Fig. 4.

The invention is exemplified as applied to a railway journal-box Iii foran axle II. The axle is journaled `in the box I0, as well understood inthe art. A lid I 2 is pivoted to the box for access to the interior ofthe box so that lubricant can be supplied thereto. The box is alsoprovided adjacent its inner end with a transverse chamber I3 in which isfitted the usual guard I5 around the axle for excluding dust andpreventing the escape of lubricant through the inner end of the box. Thesides of the box at the ends of chamber I3 are provided with integralribs I5 with inclined shoulders I6 at their lower ends.

The improved dust-guard cap is preferably formed of sheet metal andcomprises a top-wall I1 which overlies the open upper end of chamber I3through which the dust-guard is insertable in the chamber I3; dependingside-hanges I8, which are adapted to lap the outer faces of the wallsaround the upper end of chamber I3 and confine the cap on the boxagainst movement longitudinally of the axle. At one of its ends the capis provided with a downwardly and inwardly in clined fia-nge 25, whichis adapted to engage and hook under the shoulder I6 on the rib I5 at oneside of the box. At its other end the cap is provided with a dependingintegral wall 2I which is spaced laterally from the adjacent side of thebox and is provided with a socket 22. The flanges I8 are extendeddownwardly to the lower end of wall 2I to reinforce said wall and toform a housing. A stem 23 is slidable axially in the outer end of thesocket 22 and is provided at its inner end with a convex head 24.. i Theconvex face` of head 24 is adapted te engage the inclined shoulder I6 atone side of the box. A coil-spring 25 sur` rounds stem 23, fits insocket 2-2, isadaptedto engage head 24, and is loadedk to press the head24 and stem against the box. A grip or handle 26 is fixedly secured tothe outer endot stem- 23. The inward spring-pressure on the head 24forces its inner convex face against the adjacent contiguous inclinedshoulder I6 and draws hook ange 2lin against the shoulder I5 so that adownward Wedging pressure bythe liar-ige 20 and head 24 will keep the`top-wall Il tightly pressed against the top of' the journal-box'.

The cap can be removed'by pulling grip 26 outwardly a ,suiiicientdistance to permit the head 2=i-to clear the adjacent shoulder I6and'rib I5 so the cap can pivot at hook 20 on the'adjacen-t shoulder I6until the head 24 clears the upper top of the bex. When the cap isremoved from the journal-box the grip 26 serves as a st ep to limit the4 inv/jard movement of the lieacillil by the spring 2 5.

A characteristic of this construction is that when the cap is applied tothe journal-box, the spring 25 Will cause the cap to be secured on thebox b-y the wedgi-ng action of iange 20 at one end of the cap and thespring-pressed convex head 24 at the other end of the cap. This resultsin eiectivel-y securing the cap to the journal-box against displacementby vibration while .the journal-box is in use.

In the modication illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the cap comprises atop-Wall I'I, a hook ange 20 and flanges I8 similar to those shown inFigs. 1 to 3. A member for gripping the shoulder I6 and rib I5 at oneside of the box is formed of a strip of metal bent to form a hook 3i]which extends through a slot 3I in the top-wall Il, a curved abutment 32adapted to engage the adjacent inclined shoulder I6, a member 33 whichextends through the depending wall 2 Ia of the cap, and a grip 35outside of the cap. A coil-spring 35 is seated in a socket 3%, engagesthe gripping member, is loaded to force said gripping member inwardly,and extends around a tongue 3l outstruck from said member. When thismodified form of cap is applied to lthe journal-box, the abutment 32 isforced inwardly by the spring 35 and causes the box to be wedged betweenthe hook 2t and the gripping member so that the cap will be securelyheld on the box. When the cap is to be removed the grip 34 can be pulledor pried outward a sufficient distance to permit the abutment 32 toclear the adjacent shoulder I6 and rib I5 so` that the cap can pivot onhook 20 and be swung upwardly away from the journal-box.

The invention exempliiies a dust-guard cap for a journal-box, which issimple in construction, can be readily applied to, and removed from thejournal-box and which, when placed thereon, will be securely held byspring-pressure and wedging action, so that it will be held thereonagainst likelihood of becoming loose or removed in operation. The capalso effectively excludes water, sand and other foreign matter from thejournal-box.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what IV claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. A dust guard cap formed of sheet metalcomprising a top-wall adapted to extend over the dust guard chamber of ajournal Ibox, integral parallel side flanges depending from thetop-wall, a depending integral hook at one end of the top wall shapedfor wedging engagement with an external shoulder onone side of the box,an integral flange depending from the other end of the top-wall spacedfrom the side of the box and provided with an integral outwardlyprojecting cylindrical socket, a gripping element provided with a member disposed inwardlyvof the depending iiange and having an inner endshaped for wedging engagement with an external shoulder on the otherside of the box and a handle disposed at the outer side of the flangefor retracting the engaging member, a coil-spring held in said socketand engaging the gripping element for forcing it into wedging engagementwith the shoulder on the adjacent side of the box.

. 2. A dust guard cap formed of sheet metal comprising a top-walladapted to extend over the dust guard chamberA of a journal box,integral parallel side-flanges depending from the top-wall, a dependingintegral hook at one end of the topwallshaped for wedging engagementwith an external shoulder on one side of the box, an integral angedepending from the other end of the topwall Aspaced from the side of thebox and provided with an integral outwardly projecting cylindricalsocket, the side-flanges having downward extensions joinedrto andreenforcing the end-flange, a

gripping element provided with a member disposed inwardly of thedepending ange and having an inner end shape for wedging engagement withan external shoulder on the other side of the box and a handle disposedat the outer side of the ange for retracting the engaging member, and acoil-spring held in said socket and engaging the gripping element forforcing it into wedging engagement with the shoulder on the adjacentside of the box.

3. A dust guard cap formed of sheet metal comprising a top wall adaptedto extend over the dust guard chamber of a journal box, integralparallel side-flanges depending from the top-wall, a depending integralhook at one end of the top-wall shaped for wedging engagement with anexternal shoulder on one side of the box, an integral ange dependingfrom the other end of the top-wall spaced from the side of the box andprovided with an integral outwardly projecting cylindrical socket, agripping element provided with a convex head disposed inwardly of thedepending flange and shaped for wedging engagement with an externalshoulder on the other side of the box, a shank extending through thesocket and a handle on the outer end of the shank and disposed at theouter side of the flange for retracting the engaging member, and acoil-spring held in said socket and engaging the gripping element forforcing it into wedging engagement with the shoulder on the adjacentside of the box.

4. A dust-guard cap comprising a top-wall adapted to extend over thedust-guard chamber of a journal box, a hook depending from one end ofthe top -wall for engaging the external shoulder of one side of the box,a rigid downward extension on the top-wall adjacent to and spaced fromthe other side of the box, a gripping lever having one of its endsextending through and pivotedin the top-wall, a portion between theextension and the adjacent side of the box for engaging the externalshoulder on said other side oi the box,'said lever extending throughsaid downward extension and provided with a handle at the outer side ofsaid extension, and a spring `between the extension and a portion of thelever between its pivoted end and its shoulder engaging portion forforcing the lever inwardly against said other shoulder and clamping thebox between the hook and said member. v

WILLIAM H. SALE.

